Yes, I already did and let him know that it will remain open until 2017. It’s really going well!
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To all, especially @Deborah-SSi and @aran
I hope the following will show you the response I have just had from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in San Steffan.
It works as a link for me. Hope it does for all!!
278665 response.pdf (164.6 KB)
In response, I sent the following:-
Dear Mr Ali,
Thank you for your response to my letter about our petition from those of us outside Wales who wish to continue to enjoy the excellent programmes produced by S4C in the indigenous language of the country. We had seen that the Government has granted the channel a stay of execution by maintaining its share of the funding for another year. Perhaps this was influenced by the evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, which showed just how much money S4C has already saved by paring all expenses to the bone?
Personally, I cannot forget that a previous Conservative Government promised the setting up of S4C before an election and reversed this afterwards. The resultant outcry and the risk of an elderly gentleman dying on hunger strike, caused Mrs. Thatcher to change her mind and S4C was set up. All those of us interested in the ancient language and culture which was, for centuries, that of all Britain, sincerely hope that the current Government will not cut the funding as soon as the 2016 elections and the EU Referendum are over, although there may well be a number of elderly people of both sexes prepared to go on hunger strike if necessary.
We will keep on observing developments, ready to reawaken our petition if necessary, but we do thank the Secretary of State for the current level of funding.
Yours sincerely,
Jacqueline Y. Comben
Argyll, Scotland.
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I hope that you will welcome the announcement, which confirms the Government’s
commitment to the Welsh speaking audiences across the UK.
Hmmm …
This is great answer but they obviously weren’t careful when reading. 
They weren’t amazed by “across the World” thingy we were trying to put in with petition.
However, the funds will remain at least for a year and that’s what we tried to achieve at the end of course.
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What I hoped to achieve was adequate funding, by one way or another, for a lot longer than a year!!
You see I do, very well, remember the Thatcher back-track on her original promise of a ‘Welsh Language Channel’. I. therefore, distrust any promise of funding made immediately before an election. It is all too easy for the Government concerned to back off once votes have been counted!!!
In fact the current Chancellor in Westminster can u-turn in days, never mind a year!!!
I know that, but it is a start anyway. I’m aware here’s a long way to go yet to ensure the constant funding and that those would not be reduced but (I don’t know was that the petition or many more other occassions) the first step was made though.
Unfortunately as we are not consequential for them as voters, I doubt they care too much. Although inherent scepticism aside, I will continue to sign any more petitions as needed etc. sigh. But congrats and thank you for your hard work henddraig 
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One thing they have totally missed is the potential to promote Wales to the world through the excellent S4C programmes. In the reply they state their commitment to “Welsh speaking audiences”, but that is a very narrow view. To me the purpose of S4C needs to be expanded allowing it to be used as a vehicle for promoting Wales and Welsh culture to the world, so that people everywhere are as aware of Wales as they are of Scotland. Selling S4C programmes abroad would bring in more income for the channel, but also most likely lead to an increase in tourism. Everyone would win!
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They have also missed the potential to promote Wales in the rest of Britain. OK, I think they showed Hinterland (or are going to), but they could show other programmes as well on UK national TV, e.g. BBC4. “Byw Celwydd” would be such an obvious one. I suspect most people (including me, to be honest) in England have only the vaguest idea of how the Welsh Assembly/Government works. Devolution, and possible independence, has been a hot issue in the recent past.
BBC4 is currently showing an Icelandic “noir” drama series. That’s great. I love it. But I’d be very surprised if there are more Icelandic than Welsh speakers in England … Come on BBC - what are you afraid of???
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That’s what I had in mind also, when said that they missed that “across the World” part.
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Tell that to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, or better still, S4C.
All of your post should go to BBC Wales and S4C!!!
To anyone and everyone: Never thank me for the petition and any future action. It is so good to be able to do something!!
We didn’t have the internet in Thatcher’s day. Supporting the miners by keeping my lights on wasn’t all that helpful. How could I do anything for TV in Cymraeg? I was in London!! No one would care if I went on hunger strike (I still have that trouble!)
Seriously, though, I do think all your good ideas for getting the best programmes from S4C out into English speaking homes, should be passed on to those who might be able to get something done!! ‘Trapped’ is exactly like ‘Y Gwyll’ in ‘feel’, and why not subtitles from Welsh??? We have them on BBC4 from Italian (Montalbano), French, Swedish, Danish, and now Icelandic!! Roll on Slovenian!!
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Funnily enough, never in Norwegian that I can remember (not in that slot, anyway; oh there was “Lillehammer”, midweek, on BBC2 I think, with “Silvio” from “The Sopranos” as the American ex-gangster who had moved to a remote part of Norway to escape his ex-“colleagues”).
There has been one Flemish series (“Salamander” … and I’m vaguely wondering if there was another one. Can’t remember any Dutch … there was “Van der Valk” about a million years ago, but that was in English of course…
There was another Italian series about a detective who was Venetian, but, as I recall, he wasn’t in Venice! Then there have been a few in French, about the same set of cops and Prosecutors. (One of the latter my favourite dishy French actor!!!) Spiral, it was called, I think.
. I remember the Lilllehammer one which I didn’t like much.
Update
I wrote to Liz Saville Roberts MP (Plaid) who impressed me on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, telling her about the Petition and not only did I get an answer, but it was:-
Annwyl Jacqueline
Diolch yn fawr am eich neges.
I am glad to say I’m still a member of the Welsh Affairs Committee.
I’m greatly interested in your petition of support by S4C supporters who live outside Wales. The customary - and dated - method of measuring viewer numbers and preferences fails to take account of such S4C viewers, and thus misses an important cohort. WAC has yet to complete our inquiry into Broadcasting in Wales, but I can assure you that the significance of accurately assessing both conventional (ie television) viewers of S4C in Wales, and those many people who view the channel via digital platforms, including of course people outside Wales, has been raised by many witnesses.
Would it be OK for me to share your epetition via social media?
Balch iawn darllen eich bod yn dysgu Cymraeg.
Cofion cynnes
Liz
Needless to say I’ve written to say how very happy it will make me (and all of you!) if she does this!!
@Deborah-SSi and @aran the above may interest you!!
Something seems to have happened to the format of the petition, or my computer. I don’t actually like the new version much! @tatjana ideas?
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Ideas are as these:
- They implemented new design which is actually a bit pretier but very hard to read.
- You can’t do anything about this but go with that as it’s general change for all site and probably it has also some new functionalities too.
- As much as I don’t like the new design in terms of reading (the text is tinny and as much as I could see mre greyish then pure black and too light blue for my poor (one) eye, I like the layout though. You can actually quickly check who signed the petition and from which country and interactive functionality build into the site enables you to just put the mouse on one’s comment and you can already read it. If it’s longer then the amount of words which appears in the interactive “module” you however have to click on the link “View” in order to read it in whole.
- With this layout the site looks more modern and inviting for new users also so I don’t blame them to change the design though.
So, here are ups and downs to the new design but you can do nothing about that in any way.
The other idea: Congrats on the answer you’ve got from this kind and obviously very supporting MP. Something is mooving toward right direction obviously anyway.
Actually, having looked at it properly, I agree with you. I just wish the print was a bit darker!!
It was good to have such comments from an MP from Cymru! When I wrote to the MP from Wales who had shown interest in S4C before, I got an instant rebuff because I don’t live in his constituency!! Liz surprised me by being so very helpful!!
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Some people don’t matter about where you live but about what you support, remember this next time you question yourself whether write something to someone or not … If you wouldn’t try, you wouldn’t know what pure example and proof this answer from Liz is. I’m glad she responded like she did.
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I emailed and advised my local MP that the petition was in circulation and asked him to support it back on Jan 11th. TODAY I had a response - a sort of positive one, but rather a long time coming!
Thank you for your email and my apologies for not answering you earlier. You are quite right to highlight S4C’s reach globally and its huge significance. I’m glad Ministers undertook change of heart over funding following a cross party campaign. However, the agreement is only for one year.
We must remain vigilant.
With all best wishes,
Mark Williams.
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I agree, it is a tad luke warm! Is he LibDem? Is your AM a better bet? I keep forgetting where you are!
On Gower we had two very good helpful Labour MPs (Gareth Wardell and then Martin Caton), but were lumbered with an AM who seemed more preoccupied with how important she was as a Minister than with doing anything locally that didn’t involve press coverage, preferably on TV. I rapidly learned that, even for devolved matters, I got better results from Martin!!! I sometimes wrote to the nearest Plaid AM, which could yield results!
Up here, we now have SNP for MP and MSP, but the MSP seems more helpful!!
Actually, I wrote a reminder to him in February and today I received a response to that one! It seems he’s catching up on his emails. This one is a little stronger, and yes, a Lib Dem.
Thank you for your email regarding the Government’s consultation on the BBC Charter Review and S4C.
I absolutely agree with you about the importance of the BBC. The responses to the consultation are extremely encouraging and will hopefully put pressure on the Government to protect the BBC from unnecessary cuts.
As the report points out, the BBC has a positive wider impact on the broadcasting sector, serves its audiences well and delivers high quality and distinctive programming.
My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have been working hard to pressure the Government on all public sector broadcasting, including the BBC, Channel 4, and especially important for Wales and Welsh speakers, S4C. We have raised this issue numerous times in Parliament and are doing everything we can to prevent the Tories making ideologically-driven changes to these channels.
I will continue to do what I can on this matter, however if there is anything further I can help with, please don’t
hesitate to contact me.
All about BBC, I see, with S4C as an afterthought!
We have got up to 815 on the petition, but if…thanks for the answer… you send out 10,000+ newsletters, I have this notion that a lot are not in Wales!! If I catch one and mail at once, I get a signature, but there must be zillions who come on line, download lessons and never look at the Forum!! The new layout actually makes that more likely, @aran, I think!! At least, when I log in now, I get into Spain, Click to get list of languages and go into Welsh. I’m not sure if you can get lessons and challenges without seeing any mention of the forum, but I got that idea.
edit: I just went to look and, yes, you can click on Intro, then get the challenges without anything about the Forum!! How about an advert on the first page?